Author: Debra

Are you thinking about taking a summer vacation but don’t really want to put in the time, money, and energy it takes to actually go out of town and do something? Well, stay-cations, or vacations one spends at home, have become more popular in recent years. You can take off a week of work and just relax at home! If you want to take a stay-cation, here are a few ideas.

Some people just take a week off and do absolutely nothing! They watch TV, go out to lunch and a movie, catch up on magazines or books…basically, they rest and relax. On the other hand, some people spend this vacation catching up on chores and things they’ve been meaning to do but just haven’t had the time for, like going some home repairs or projects. It is a vacation? Some would say no, but others love doing this type of stuff, and for them, it’s a lot of fun.

Don’t want to take a whole week off? You could take a few days off at the end of the week so you can have an extended weekend. Some people might use this time to take a mini-vacation, while others just like to stay at home. If you have family nearby, you could go visit them. You could also go to your local zoo, spend some time at a museum checking out the new exhibits, or returning to a local attraction you haven’t visited recently.

There is an elegance to the Thanksgiving holiday that Thanksgiving Decorations warms our hearts, reminds us to be kinder to one another, and celebrates the beauty of fall. We often take our cues from nature when thinking about our Thanksgiving tabletops, mixing autumn botanicals with flowers in vibrant harvest hues.

This year, highlight the elegance of the holiday by talking to your local florist about creating Thanksgiving arrangements that combine seasonal classics, such as wheat stems and acorns, with white florals like roses and calla lilies to add sophistication and style to the tabletops in every room of your home.Wheat Stems and Calla Lilies for the Foyer

Give your family and friends a festive welcome by going grand in the entryway or on a fireplace mantle by showcasing a tall centerpiece of wheat stems interspersed with long-stemmed white flowers such as calla lilies or gladiolas. Since this is a table or surface that is primarily for display, surround the vase with nuts in their shells and white pumpkins.

Pumpkins and Roses for the Dinner Table

For the dinner table, ask for a low arrangement so guests can easily chat across the table with an unobstructed view of each other. Given that the table will be abundant with food, consider a container that is a space-saver, such as a slender wooden wine box artistically filled with white roses and miniature pumpkins. Add a sense of whimsy to the arrangement with longer stems of mini calla lilies and pheasant feathers.

Round out the table design by placing an autumn leaf topped with a white rose on each guest’s plate. You can personalize each place-setting by writing each person’s name on the leaf using a gold metallic pen.

Thanksgiving Decorations

Look around your home and think about how you can echo the theme of your main holiday flower arrangements in other places, such as the living room coffee table or even white flowers in a miniature white pumpkin to freshen up the powder room.

Surround your guests and you in floral beauty and harvest bounty this Thanksgiving for a memorable holiday.

Administrative Professionals Week is April 21st through the 25th, with Administrative Professionals Day falling on April 23. This is the week/day we pause and give thanks to all the administrative professionals in our offices. These hardworking assistants do more than just answer the phones and get coffee. In fact, many of them are responsible for the day to day running of the office and for making everything necessary for major events come together.

There are a lot of different administrative professionals we should thank this week. The International Association of Administrative Professionals defines administrative professionals as “individuals who are responsible for administrative tasks and coordination of information in support of an office-related environment and who are dedicated to furthering their personal and professional growth in their chosen profession.” While a lot of people think this day is all about secretaries (it was originally called Secretary’s Day), today administrative professionals have a variety of titles: office coordinator, administrative specialist, office manager, and executive assistant are just a few of them.

This month, be sure to thank your hard working administrative professionals in your life. Take them out to lunch, send them a beautiful bouquet of flowers, or even give them the day (or at least the afternoon) off. Show your administrative assistant just how valuable they are. Moravian can’t do everything for Administrative Professionals Day, but we can certainly help with the flowers. Check out our variety of flowers in Houston, TX, that are perfect for the day, and you might even want to get some of our tasty Godiva chocolates, too!

Can you believe it’s December already? That means Christmas is just around the corner! Before the holiday season hits and brings with it all that craziness, take a moment to look over some of these upcoming events and decide if you want to attend any of them. Houston has a lot to offer during the holidays, and while you’ll probably be too busy to do everything, you should be able to fit a few events into your busy schedule.

The Houston Zoo will light up with thousands of Christmas lights. You and your family can take a tour through this magical wonderland and check out some amazing decorations, sing carols, and drink hot cocoa.

One Christmas tradition is seeing the Nutcracker ballet. While some people prefer to watch the ballet on TV, there really is nothing like seeing it performed live. There are several different performances going on in Houston this month. In attrition to the Nutcracker, there are other holiday performances, plays, and recitals.

If you enjoy seeing holiday displays, go driving around Houston. Load the family up in the car, pack some snacks, and crank up the Christmas carols on the radio. There are many great festival displays in the area. If you want to do a little walking, you might want to take the Heritage Society’s Annual Candlelight Tour in the Park. While you will have to walk in the cold instead of riding in the warm car, it’s certainly worth it. The tour features some of Houston’s oldest buildings decorated in the traditional 19th century holiday décor, plus there’s live music and Santa!

Does your family have any Thanksgiving traditions? If not, you should start one this year? A tradition doesn’t have to be old—whatever you usually do on Thanksgiving might count as a tradition if you do it the same way each year. But if you’re looking to start something a little different for Thanksgiving and you’re up for experimenting, here’s a different kind of idea:

How does this work? Each year, every person selects a new recipe that they’ve never tried before to make for dinner. Everyone gets to try cooking something new, and everyone gets to eat new foods. You also don’t have to worry about people not liking a dish. No one knows what it will taste like, and since it’s the first time anyone has prepared these dishes, no one should feel badly if they don’t turn out right.

Want to spruce up your Thanksgiving dinner table? You might have some traditional decorations that you always use, or you might let your kids create turkeys out of pine cones. But be sure to have some great flowers there, too. Let us deliver some beautiful Thanksgiving flowers to you in Houston, TX!

Are you getting ready for a Halloween party? If you are, you’ve probably got the basics covered—costume, decorations, music—but what about food? If you’ve never thrown a party with snacks and other food, here’s a quick checklist for you.

Now that summer has officially ended and fall is here, it’s time to change up your décor a bit. The fun fall colors and flowers can make quite an impression. Fall colors are pretty easy to guess: red, yellow, brown, and orange, of course. The colors of falling leaves abound during the autumn months! Because these colors are usually very strong, you do need to be careful not to overdo it. Too much can make a room look dark, so if the walls and flooring of your room already make it darker than you’d like, only use a few autumn-colored items for accent.

You’ll also want to take a look as some fall flowers when working on your new décor. They’re beautiful, and since some people tend to think of flowers as spring and summer décor, your guests may not expect to see bright blooms on your table in the autumn. There are a number of different flowers that bloom in the fall. Here are some you might want to add to your décor:

Fall is here! If you live in Houston, TX, there are a lot of different fall celebrations, events, and activities you and your family can participate in. Some of them are outdoors, but the weather stays fairly warm during much of the fall. Here are a few things you can head out and do this fall.

Go to the pumpkin patch at Double Creed Farm! The patch is open on the weekends.

Listen to live country music on the first Monday of each month at the Giddings High School.

Attend the Galaxy of Stars quilt show Sept. 20 and 21.

Go to the historic Montgomery wine and music festival on Sept. 21 in nearby Montgomery.

Or you can do some early Christmas shopping at the Just Shop for a Just Cause craft market on Sept. 21.

Attend some of the great plays being performed at the Unity Theatre.

Take a Ghost Walk in the historic downtown area (Sept. 27 through Nov. 3).

Go to the Dewberry Farm Fall Festival. This festival is open every Saturday and Sunday between Sept. 28 to Nov. 10.

These are just a few things going on in Houston this fall. Are you going to any of them? Anything not on the list that should be?

If you’re thinking of really treating yourself, check out Robin’s Nest Bed and Breakfast. It’s located in the Montrose Museum District and is within walking distance of many museums, art galleries, and restaurants. The food served at Robin’s Nest is all organic, and much of it is actually grown right there. This weekend getaway may be the perfect way of relaxing on your birthday.

Houston has a good number of parks and recreational activities, too. Moody Gardens, The Reef water park, and the Kemah Boardwalk in nearby Kemah are all great day outings for a family. You can also relax in any of the parks around the city or play golf at Hermann Park.

Another fun birthday adventure is to go horseback riding at the All Heart Horse Farm. This ranch, which is located outside Houston in Manvel, Texas, gives you and your loved one a chance to learn how to ride a horse while under the eye of an experienced instructor.

Summer is almost over, but there are still a few more weeks to have a little fun. In fact, there’s still a lot to do in Houston in August. Here are just a few events and things to do.

Visit Moody Gardens. There’s always something to do at the beautiful gardens. Currently, there’s a special exhibit running called “Dinos Alive!” that runs through August 11. If your kids love dinosaurs, they’ll love this exhibit.

For museum lovers, how about visiting the Contemporary Arts Museum of Houston or the Houston Museum of Natural Science? Both feature some very interesting permanent and visiting exhibits, and admission is fairly cheap. There are even some exhibits that children will find interesting.

Of course, for a day outdoors with the kids, nothing beats the Houston Zoo. There are many different animals featured at the zoo. One of the cool exhibits at the zoo this summer, however, features a different type of animal: ones made out of Lego bricks. The Animals Assembled exhibit features huge animals created by certified Lego Master Builders. The Lego creatures will be at the zoo through Labor Day.

After you visit the past at the zoo, you can blast off to the future at the Space Center Houston. Family members of all ages will enjoy the usual space center activities, but fans of the original Star Trek series will want to visit the center to check out the Shuttlecraft Galileo set piece. featured in several episodes of the series, the set piece and props have been restored by Star Trek fans and will be available for viewing following its unveiling on July 31.

No matter what you choose to do, make the most out of these last few weeks of summer. If nothing else, at least head outdoors and take a walk around the local park or even your neighborhood. Enjoy the sunshine!